A fleet of Bourbon City Cruisers will hit downtown this spring, courtesy of Mint Julep Experiences

Get ready to experience bourbon on three wheels. | Courtesy of Mint Julep Experiences

First there were the beer bikes, then the Bird scooters, and now there’s the Bourbon City Cruiser, a six-passenger, three-wheeled electric vehicle that can usher residents and tourists to all the hot spots downtown, courtesy of Mint Julep Experiences.

The Louisville-based company has purchased a fleet (five to 10) of the extended golf carts that can operate year-round, and they’ll debut them in the spring with several themed tours that can encompass anything from the downtown distilleries and the Urban Bourbon Trail to culinary treasures and museums.

According to a news release, Mint Julep co-owner Sean Higgins first encountered these vehicles, made by e-Tuk USA, on a sightseeing tour in Denver. The rickshaw-styled cars have been around since 2015 and have been used for similar tours in Portland, Ore., and Napa Valley.

For years, Higgins has been thinking of a fun, safe way to offer downtown Louisville tours, and he believes this is it.

“You shouldn’t rush anything when enjoying Louisville,” said Higgins in the release. “Good bourbon takes time and patience, that’s why we want to cruise! Our new Bourbon City Cruisers will allow guests to take a leisurely ride soaking in everything our city has to offer.”

He notes that they’ll be working on design options with several local bourbon brands and sponsors, “so get ready to see some unique, one-of-a-kind, head-turning cruisers from Portland to Butchertown to NuLu to Old Louisville, Broadway and Churchill Downs.”

A look at potential stops the Bourbon City Cruisers could make | Courtesy of Mint Julep Experiences

Although the Cruisers won’t be here until the spring, they will be able to operate all year long because they come equipped with heated seats and rain covers. They go about 25 mph and have zero emissions.

The team at Mint Julep currently is coming up with tour plans, but there will be bookings for the spring offered as early as January/February.

Sara Havens is the Culture Editor at Insider Louisville, known around town as the Bar Belle (barbelleblog.com). She's a former editor of LEO Weekly and has written for Playboy and The Alcohol Professor. Havens is the author of two books: "The Bar Belle" and "The Bar Belle Vol. 2."